The HTC One is a good handset overall, it's just that the 4MP camera won't be as sharp as an 8 or 13 megapixel one, but it's good to see more digital camera technology bleeding into the mobile space.

My personal favorite is the Xperia Z though, it looks simply stunning, has a great 13MP camera (Don't let the reviews fool you, that Exmor RS sensor is far superior to the iphone 5 or any other competing 8MP cameras). Unfortunate that it has a regular TFT screen instead of IPS+ or SLCD3 (Which the One has) so it has poor viewing angles and a lower contrast ratio, but the Bravia Engine makes up for the latter in photos and videos.

I personally don't like how the One looks like a cross between a One X and an iPhone 5, segmented designs are really not my thing.

I don't include the Galaxy S4 mainly because of its cheap plastic and pentile display.

The HTC One is a good handset overall, it's just that the 4MP camera won't be as sharp as an 8 or 13 megapixel one, but it's good to see more digital camera technology bleeding into the mobile space.
My personal favorite is the Xperia Z though, it looks simply stunning, has a great 13MP camera (Don't let the reviews fool you, that Exmor RS sensor is far superior to the iphone 5 or any other competing 8MP cameras). Unfortunate that it has a regular TFT screen instead of IPS+ or SLCD3 (Which the One has) so it has poor viewing angles and a lower contrast ratio, but the Bravia Engine makes up for the latter in photos and videos.
I personally don't like how the One looks like a cross between a One X and an iPhone 5, segmented designs are really not my thing.
I don't include the Galaxy S4 mainly because of its cheap plastic and pentile display.

I don't get these reports about poor viewing angles on the Z. I can look at mine at 180 degrees and the screen looks the exact same.

I don't get these reports about poor viewing angles on the Z. I can look at mine at 180 degrees and the screen looks the exact same.

Just what I've read in the reviews mate, but most users have reported great experiences, so I'll gladly take your word for it. I can't remember the last time I was so excited for a phone, the way that I am for the Z, alas it's priced wayyyy out of my budget, man can dream though.
On a side note, have you done any HDR video capture on the Z? I know it makes a hell of a difference in low-lit photos, but most sites said that the difference isn't very pronounced in the videos.

Yeah the viewing angle complaint is a strange one, somewhat generic. I can understand it on a TV or a Monitor or something but for such a personal device like a phone who cares if screen quality dims at angles when you're going to look at it head on 95% of the time.

The contrast ratio complaint is fair enough though. If Bravia Engine worked throughout whatever was displayed on the screen then it'd be excellent but I guess it doesn't.

Best Smartphone Now?

Originally Posted by three3-times

but everyone knows the S4 is the king of phones

If you're into horrible screen calibration/saturation, then sure! If that doesn't bother you, then it's a good phone. It has a lot of unnecessary options, IMO. It's light and easy to hold, though... but the battery life is atrocious and it gets hot as frack.

My battery life is amazing. 7am I am at 100% charge. Around 10pm I am around 35%. This is with normal use, checking emails, watching some YouTube vids, etc.

Not to mention that Qualcomm released an official app to boost battery life even further. It is called Qualcomm Snapdragon Battery Guru.
The phone only gets hot when you are playing games or running benchmarks. My phone is in a very nice case, so it does not affect me in any way.

The S4 and HTC One are the best phones out right now. I like the HTC One because if the aluminum chassis but the S4 has a bigger battery. And the S4 has the best battery life besides the Razr Maxx which is old and outdated.

My battery life is amazing. 7am I am at 100% charge. Around 10pm I am around 35%. This is with normal use, checking emails, watching some YouTube vids, etc.

Not to mention that Qualcomm released an official app to boost battery life even further. It is called Qualcomm Snapdragon Battery Guru.
The phone only gets hot when you are playing games or running benchmarks. My phone is in a very nice case, so it does not affect me in any way.

If you're into horrible screen calibration/saturation, then sure! If that doesn't bother you, then it's a good phone. It has a lot of unnecessary options, IMO. It's light and easy to hold, though... but the battery life is atrocious and it gets hot as frack.

I just got one and I love it. There is some unnecessary fluff there but the phone is great. The back does get hot at times but the battery life isn't that bad. I haven't had any problems with it running down on me and I live in a rural area where signal is sparse at times. That runs down phones really bad and its not a problem. My iPhone 4 would run down just from sitting around.

The color does look very saturated but they have settings to make it more natural. Not to mention that display is amazing! As well as that ridiculous camera. Not going to say it's the best phone on the market because I haven't had time with the One or Z but I think it's easily in the top 3 from that I've seen. Just an awesome phone.

Waiting on my Ballistic Aspira case to come in. What kind of case so you guys have on your s4. I made a thread about it but it got overlooked I guess.

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